Chapter 2

Mr. Congalton’s 55er has a sense of reality, immediacy, terror, and surprise; it’s economical in its brevity, but it has depth and great power and the satisfying feel of a full story. Not bad for just fifty-one words, eh? (Yep, pieces less than fifty-five words are allowed in the contest.)

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The More Things Change by Christine M. Ahern

When they met, her hair was wild, her name was Peace.

His hair was long, his name was Sam. He played guitar for her.

Sam traded his guitar for golf clubs. She’s long since cut her hair.

He calls her Judy. But sometimes, under a full moon’s light, he sees Peace and kisses her anew. (55 words)

* * * *

In The More Things Change, Ms. Ahern does a beautiful job of charting the trajectory of a relationship: how two people meet, change with the years, and come full circle at the end. She lets the reader fill in the blanks. One of the most striking aspects of this piece is its three-part structure. Can you identify and separate Ms. Ahern’s story into those divisions? The nostalgic afterglow is a wonderful bonus. How can anyone not love it?

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Grapplemeyer by Shirley Powell

“Old Grapplemeyer died broke. The reading of this will is over.”

“That old fraud,” sobbed Lydia, Grapplemeyer’s mistress of thirty years. “I’ve wasted my life.”

“You?” shouted David. “I was his secretary, valet, and more!”

“I was only the cook, but I’ll miss dear Mr. Grapplemeyer,” said Rosemary, fingering a huge diamond ring. (53 words)

* * * *

Can you see Ms. Powell winking at you as you read the last line of this humorous piece? It’s short—clocks in at 53 words—sweet, and reads like a dream. Talk about curling up at the end. No reading between the lines here. It’s all there and beautifully written.

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Your Turn Now

Before we begin this section of writing exercises, a few caveats.

Don’t worry if you go over the fifty-five-word limit during the first draft. Let the creative juices flow. Let your imagination run rampant and make your story curl right up to its inevitable and surprising end. If you want to set a timer, feel free. Set the timer for whatever time limit you’re comfortable with, but like Goldilocks, not too long and not too short. You want to get your thoughts down as quickly as you can. I usually write these short pieces by hand on legal tablets as I find the words flow better for me this way than on a computer. But that’s up to you.

We’ll talk about revising your drafts to fit the fifty-five-word restriction at the end of this section. Write as many 55ers as you like. Just remember to have fun.

In her book, Fast Fiction: Creating Fiction in Five Minutes, Roberta Allen calls these types of writing exercises “playing with possibilities.” I’ve adapted a few of her exercises for this book. If you like, try combining two or three prompts into one and write that story; for example, write a story about a myth, a victory, and growing old.

Write a 55er that’s a parody of one of your favorite novels, movies, or TV shows.

Write a tale with erotic overtones.

Write a parody of a myth or fable.

Write a 55er using only dialogue

Write about growing old.

Write about a close call.

Write about a place or time that feels nostalgic.

Write a 55er that’s pure narrative. (No dialogue allowed.)

Write about a crisis.

Write about a victory.

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After the Exercise

Review the rules for writing 55 Fiction (Appendix A).

Does your story have an arc? A distinct beginning, middle, and end?

Count the words in each line and write the line total off to the side.

Add the line totals. Did you go over the 55-word limit? My guess is you did. I usually do.

Review your draft and eliminate as many “weasel” words as you can—words that add nothing to your story.

Replace weasels, usually adjectives and adverbs, with stronger nouns and verbs.

If your story is close to fifty-five words, not to worry. Just don’t go over the limit. As Stephen King said, “Kill your darlings.” Don’t be afraid to lose a word here and there. As you become more proficient at writing in this form, your work will become tighter. This is a skill worth its weight in gold when you face more challenging and longer writing projects.

Does your story have a theme? If so, write it down. It will come in handy if and when you expand your 55er into a piece of flash or a short story. Or even into something longer. I know you can do it.